


The Root of the Red Ledger

by wizardofahz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:33:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3293885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wizardofahz/pseuds/wizardofahz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root was fourteen when she organized her first hit. Natasha was even younger when she made her first kill. The two of them are more connected than one of them realizes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Root of the Red Ledger

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Right after I read a Black Hill fanfic, I happened to watch the scene from Person of Interest's “Prophets”, in which Root says, “The life I've lead, a good end would be a privilege”. Naturally, my mind was like, “Hey, that reminds me of the red in Natasha's ledger,” hence the crossover.

Footsteps echoed through the subway station.

"Mr. Reese?" Harold called out hopefully, but hearing two distinct gaits, Shaw grabbed a gun.

"Sorry to disappoint," a familiar voice said as two women came into view.

Shaw’s brow furrowed. The speaker’s hair was much longer than Shaw remembered, but the voice and blue eyes were unmistakable. "Hill?"

"Shaw," the brunette greeted. She was accompanied by a redhead who was about Shaw’s height.

"You two know each other?" Harold asked warily, looking at the two women with fear and suspicion.

"We served together," Shaw explained.

"Semper Fi," the brunette added dryly.

"How did you find this place?" Harold asked, still unsure what to make of the women’s sudden appearance.

The two newcomers exchanged cryptic glances.

Knowing Hill and the other woman were unlikely to share, Shaw began introductions. "This is Harold Finch, and this is—" She felt Root trying to slip away. "What are you doing?"

Having been caught, Root stilled and said, “Nothing.”

"Right." Shaw shot the hacker a look. "Anyways, this is —"

“Augusta King,” Root quickly cut in.

The two women recognized that the name was obviously an alias but let it go.

"Maria Hill," the brunette introduced herself. "And this is Natasha Romanoff."

Recognizing the names, Harold’s eyes widened. He muttered something about a class to teach and quickly left. Root seemed to be eyeing him enviously.

"So what brings you by?" Shaw asked, eyeing the Black Widow appreciatively. The international spy’s reputation preceded her.

Maria shrugged nonchalantly. “I seem to recall hearing you were dead. I had to come see for myself.”

"What can I say?" Shaw said with a smirk. "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

"You were right, Maria," Natasha spoke for the first time. "I do like her."

If Shaw were the type of person to blush, she would have. "And I am a big fan of your work."

Maria, Natasha, and Shaw easily settled into a discussion of their various exploits. Shaw was as delighted as she could get that Natasha was as interested in her missions as she was in the other woman’s.

After a while, Natasha was wrapping up her description of her and Clint Barton’s mission in Budapest when Shaw realized Root, who had barely said a word since the other two women arrived, was being oddly sulky and antisocial. For a moment, she considered the possibility that the hacker was jealous of her admiration for the Black Widow but quickly disregarded it. Root’s displays of jealousy were more overt and obnoxious.

"What’s going on with you?"

Root started slightly then pointed to her ear as if to indicate The Machine had a mission for her. “I need to go.”

Eyes narrowing, Shaw said, “She’s not talking in your ear anymore, Root. Try again.”

"Root?" Something clicked in Maria’s head. “Cybercriminal, killer for hire, criminal mastermind, Root?” The hacker in question made a noncommittal gesture with her head that wasn’t quite a nod, and Maria continued, “SHIELD has been keeping tabs on you – or at least has been trying to – for years, but it’s been difficult. We couldn’t find any trace of you recently. I guess now we know why.”

Root’s eyes unabashedly met Maria’s intense blue ones. “What can I say, I’m on a different path now.”

Intrigued by the new turn of events, Natasha said, “I’m sure you still have stories to share.”

Keeping her eyes on Maria, Root said, “I’d rather not.”

“You’re uncomfortable around me,” Natasha noted. She had picked up on it earlier but wasn’t at all bothered by it. She’d gotten used to the sentiment during her initial years at SHIELD.

"I know what you’re capable of," Root said warily as she continued avoiding eye contact with the redhead.

Maria glanced at the hacker and considered the profile SHIELD had been building up on the woman. Root was a narcissist, unafraid and proud to leave her signature in the wake of destruction. That she was being unusually reticent meant, “You think she has a reason to use those capabilities on you.”

Root ducked her head to avoid seeing the expectant looks directed her way but didn’t deny it. “I may have found the Red Room a useful tool once upon a time.”

Before leaving Bishop, Root had set about building up a reputation and creating a network of connections, so she could leave her hometown with plenty of resources already at her disposal. Using her ability to always find any system’s weakness, she branched out quickly, involving herself in a myriad of activities around the globe. For a program like the Red Room that had such a clear purpose, it had been so easy. All she’d had to do was set up situations that caught the KGB’s attention, and they would do the work for her. Check. That was Russia done and accounted for.

And she hadn’t even needed to pay them.

"Did you know what they were doing to us?" Natasha asked, not bothering to keep the accusatory tone from her voice. She had so much red in her ledger and apparently this woman was responsible for some of it.

"I didn’t care," Root admitted guiltily. She had been a criminal mastermind, who was a kid, contracting an assassin, who also happened to be a kid. At the time, it hadn’t seemed at all untoward to her. "You were all bad code regardless. At least that way, with everything they did to you, you were useful to me."

“Useful,” Natasha repeated incredulously.

She stepped forward menacingly, but Shaw quickly placed herself between the two women. “She doesn’t think like that anymore. She’s changed.”

Natasha looked utterly unimpressed by the sentiment. “Yeah? That's so much easier to do when everything you’ve done before was under your own free will.”

"You’re right," Root said softly, finally looking Natasha in the eye. "But I still have to live with it. I know it doesn’t change anything, but I am sorry."

“I need to get out of here,” Natasha breathed. She could feel an episode coming on, everything her deprogramming tried to contain fighting its way to the surface. “I…“

Immediately understanding, Maria said, “I’ll see you around, Shaw,” and quickly ushered Natasha out of the station.

“Thank you,” Root said after they left, voice still subdued. Shaw glanced up at her, an eyebrow quirked. “For standing up for me. You didn’t have to.”

“Whatever,” Shaw shrugged it off. “I did it for the mission. Who’s going to talk to the Machine if you’re dead?” Seeing the look on Root’s face, Shaw sighed. “Look, Root. Yeah, you did some terrible things, but you’re good now. If you need proof, just consider that I haven’t shot or punched you in a year.” After a beat, she added, “Not that I haven’t been tempted to, but that’s beside the point.”

At that, Root managed a small smile.

Before things could get into sappy territory and before Root could recover enough to start flirting again, Shaw said, “I have to take Bear for a walk.”

Root let Shaw disappear without interruption. She had a lot to make up for, but she was glad she got to do it working with such good code.


End file.
